Lamma v DB v Pokfulam v Tai Tam

Hi


I am moving to HK and am looking for somewhere to live that is relatively green and crucially has some outdoor space. From my research so far, it seems that Lamma, DB, Pokfulam or Tai Tam are the likeliest candidates. Does anyone have any views on this in particlar about Lamma island? All thoughts are very welcome especially comments regarding the practicality of commuting to and from Central bearing in mind that I will be travelling during rush hour and sometimes also very late at night.


Thanks in advance for all those who take the trouble to get back to me. You are really helping me out.


Franek

This is more appropriate for the Find a Home channel.


Personally I like Happy Valley - convenient, less expensive than midlevels, decent amout of green, bit of a villagy atmosphere....


Liviing on one of the islands might appear nice but you are a slave to the ferries....


What sort of budget do you have?

Franek

I hear that people really enjoy living on Lamma Island and dont mind the commute by ferry to work esp if you work in Central. Yes its very green and has a great community to enjoy.

DB is also great with ferrys every 2o mins or maybe longer during non peak times. I have to say if you have a family then its all here,docs, school, shops. Again nice community but I would not live there if you dont have a family.

I am not sure about Pokfulam but its close to central and again you have buses and mini buses that go through. Taxi are cheap here as well if you would rather do that.

Tai Tam is futher away from central but again is quite and has some great aptments and houses. Stanley is close for some shopping and bars and resturants. Again you have all the main buses passing through and most apartment buildings have there own service to take you into town. Rents for the last two can be very exspensive but it depends where you want to live and if you want the full club facilities. Swimming pools gym and the like.

I am not sure about late night to Lamma or DB but i know its very safe here in Hong Kong. For the other two the buses run till about 11pmish. I know most people get taxis home sraight from work home if very late and again these are very safe. I will see if i can find out some more info for you.

Franek

I hear that people really enjoy living on Lamma Island and dont mind the commute by ferry to work esp if you work in Central. Yes its very green and has a great community to enjoy.

DB is also great with ferrys every 2o mins or maybe longer during non peak times. I have to say if you have a family then its all here,docs, school, shops. Again nice community but I would not live there if you dont have a family.

I am not sure about Pokfulam but its close to central and again you have buses and mini buses that go through. Taxi are cheap here as well if you would rather do that.

Tai Tam is futher away from central but again is quite and has some great aptments and houses. Stanley is close for some shopping and bars and resturants. Again you have all the main buses passing through and most apartment buildings have there own service to take you into town. Rents for the last two can be very exspensive but it depends where you want to live and if you want the full club facilities. Swimming pools gym and the like.

I am not sure about late night to Lamma or DB but i know its very safe here in Hong Kong. For the other two the buses run till about 11pmish. I know most people get taxis home sraight from work home if very late and again these are very safe. I will see if i can find out some more info for you.

Guys,


This is all really useful I will be coming over with my fiancee and we are looking at spending $20-£30,000. Our work sometimes means we work until the early hours of the morning which is why commuting is an issue. Right now we live in a built up part of London and the idea of a bit of outdoor space, clean air and greenery is very appealing as this helps us feel we have got away from work! DB looks nice because of the space and nice environment and the fact it may be "boring" doesn't worry me as I will be on Hong Kong Island a lot of the time anyway and quite the idea of being able to escape. Happy Valley still looks pretty high rise to me, but maybe it depends where you look? I should point out that I don't really seek an expat enclave, and am certainly not seeking to avoid Chinese people (I lived on the mainland before), it is just that these areas seem less built up.


Thanks again

Ed, thanks for the input. Happy Valley sounds interesting do you know of any particularly good apartment blocks there?

Franek - whats your budget?

budget is 20k-30k.

Lots of options for that budget - contact some of these agents for listings:


http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/residential.asp

Thanks very much for your help.

15-20K will get you a whole house in Lamma (two or three floors, garden, rooftop) although there are usually not very many, if any, available at any one time and the decoration can be a bit 1970s. (With your budget, you could pay to renovate and still come in under.) Otherwise, 5-10K will get you one floor in a village house (700 square feet) and, in some cases, a bit of garden or a roof terrace.


The pros of lamma are lots of nice walks, cheap bars and restaurants, the beach. It does very much feel like a holiday village, and thongs and shorts are as dressed up as you need to get on the weekends.


The cons are being tied to the ferry timetable (last ferry leaves HK side at half past midnight, and if you miss it you've got to catch a small sampan boat)... and expat cliques which take a while to break into. Also, it can be quite hard to get off your rear and go into Central on the weekends I've found. There is a Lamma community website on either www.lamma.com or www.lamma.com.hk, I always forget which.


Many of the expats who live on Lamma are not the corporate sort (some are)but more along the teacher, journalist, editor lines of work. More relaxed and laid back (and less rich) than the mid-Levels types. Your colleagues may think you slightly odd for living in Lamma, which has a somewhat 'hippy' reputation. (And, if you live on DB, they might think you culturally unadventurous and boring.)


Commute to Central is not too bad, if your office is near the ferry pier. Unlike the MTR, you always get your own seat on the ferry and are not sniffing someone's armpit. You can eat, drink and read on the ferry. The trip itself takes 20-32minutes, depending if it's fast or slow ferry. And, unlike taxis or driving, you will not get stuck in traffic.


I've got friends who live in the HK University apartments (various buildings, diff names) in Pokfulam, and these are beautiful and good value in terms of space for bucks. (Much more expensive than Lamma obviously). Have balconies, and a grassy area outside which kids play on. Near to walks up towards the Peak through the bush. There are lots of buses running into Central, or you can cab it reasonably quickly for probably HK$50 or so.


I also used to live in Happy Valley, quite liked it but not much greenery to walk in... although there are lots of apartments overlooking the racecourse and you can walk around that. Many of the apartment buildings do not have balconies, pools etc in that area but it's got a nice neighbourhood strip for shopping. Tai Hang Rd area is greener but less handy to shops etc.


If you want bush, you could also consider Park View apartments. And, in mid-Levels, you could also look at flats along Bowen Rd, a great path to walk and access to trees etc.

Thanks Frizzy, this is amazingly helpful

Also... If you do lots past midnight at work, then consider having a home on Lamma and a bolthole in Sheung Wan or a home in HK island and a 350squ foot $3000 weekender on Lamma.

Hi franek:

You should look at www.parkisland.com if you want value for $. Green space, total seaview, heaps of facilities not matched in HK. 20 mins to IFC Central by ferry or 23 mins by MTR. Check out my flat (3bdrm 1080sq/ft) on direct owner lease on asiaxpat direct owner lease Park Island

Cheers,

Nuttall